Friday at 12:00 PM, two and one half (2 1/2) weeks before the public hearing. Nine (9) copies must be delivered to the Town Clerk's office on or before the deadline. Please call the office at (413) 528-1619 Ext.122 with any questions.

Function: The 1957 Conservation Commission Act authorized each city and town in Massachusettes to establish a locally appointed municipal agency to plan for natural resource protection, acquire important land and water areas, and manage these properties for conservation and passive recreation. It is also the work of the Great Barrington Conservation Commission to locally administer the Wetlands Protection Act (WPA; MGL Ch 131, S.40), the Rivers Protection Act (Acts of 1996, Ch. 258), and the Great Barrington Welands Protection By-laws (Ch.
168).The purpose fo the Regulations are to protect public and private water supply, ground water supply, flood control, storm damage protection, prevention of pullution, protection of land containing shellfish, protection of fisheries, and protection of wildlife habitat. The Regulations prohibit any filling, excavation or other alteration of the land surface, water levels, or vegetation in or near wetlands, without a permit from the local Conservation Commission. Our responsibility is to review project plans, including construction, renovations, alterations, additions, pruning, tree cutting, land clearing, river clean up, and any activity within 100' of a lake, pond, vegetated wetland, or intermittent stream, within 200' of any perennial river (except for any river, lake or pond that is a public or private water supply, where the set back is 500'), and any work within floodplains.

If you have any questions concerning a project, you can call the office or fill out a WPA Form 1 Request for Determination of Applicability. This form is designed to answer any questions on whether your project is in a protected area and whether the work will effect the environment or not.